A spirited Wests Tigers recorded a 22-4 victory over Premiers Melbourne Storm at Leichhardt Oval tonight in round 16 of the Telstra Premiership.

In front of a crowd of 5288 faithful supporters who braved dreadful weather conditions at the historic ground, Wests Tigers outplayed the Storm to record their fourth win in the past five matches to be just two points out of the top eight.

The opening 20 minutes saw both sides feel their way through the slippery conditions with handling a concern. There were a few small half breaks to both sides.

The Storm opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when centre Maurice Blair latched on to a sharp pass by five-eighth Brett Finch to score for a 4-0 lead. Half-back Cooper Cronk’s attempt hit the uprights.

Wests Tigers winger Tim Simona showed his speed when he picked up a spilt ball by Storm winger Sisa Waqa 15 metres out from the Wests Tigers tryline to race the length of the field to score untouched behind the posts. Five-eighth Benji Marshall converted the try to give Wests Tigers a 6-4 lead after 30 minutes.

A great kick by Captain Robbie Farah saw Storm full-back Billy Slater taken over the sideline in a great tackle by centre Blake Ayshford and second-rower Liam Fulton. A few plays later from the scrum win, Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma went over in the right corner but the try was denied on a forward pass call in the 32nd minute by referee Jarred Maxwell.

Ayshford finished off one of the finest Wests Tigers team tries seen this season when he dived over from five metres out to slide his way over the line in the 37th minute to give Wests Tigers a 10-4 lead.

The length of the field try was started when Simona picked up a grubber kick in-goal from the Storm. His natural pace saw him beat several defenders in cover in a 60 metre run before linking up with Marshall who jinked his way across field to link up with Farah before the hooker turned the ball back inside for Ayshford to hit a hole and score.

Wests Tigers scrambled well in defence in the final minute to keep the Storm out to take a well deserved 10-4 lead into half-time to a standing ovation and chant of ‘Tigers, Tigers, Tigers’.

2nd Half
A penalty goal in front of the posts to Marshall in the 48th minute saw Wests Tigers extend their lead to 12-4.

The video referee was called upon in the 41st minute to rule whether Cronk grounded the ball in trying to score off an O'Neill grubber kick. It was ruled Fulton grounded the ball first.

Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma gave his side a handy 16-4 lead in the 69th minute when he used his strength to finish off a backline play to score in the right corner - the same spot he scored the match winning try against the Cowboys in the last match at Leichhardt Oval. Marshall failed to convert the try.

Benji Marshall capped off a fantastic victory with a last ditch try, sliding under the posts to wrap up the win for Wests Tigers.

When he fielded Billy Slater's perfectly weighted kick in his in-goal, only 104 metres stood between Tim Simona and glory.

Perhaps emboldened by his 80-metre effort to score earlier in the first half, Simona again pinned his ears back.

Defying the kick-chase defence, the sideline, the slippery surface and the odds, the Doonside product again found open space. But rather than another solo effort, this one will be filed under "classic team try".

Benji Marshall had a touch, as did Robbie Farah, who dished it off to tryscorer Blake Ayshford. The latter was tackled well short of the line but skidded to his destination on a surface deemed too slippery to play the NYC and NSW Cup matches.

A couple of particularly boisterous fans on the hill celebrated by unfurling an abusive banner directed at Slater. Mitchell Pearce was nowhere to be seen.

Moments like these can change games. And even seasons. A few short weeks ago, Wests Tigers were busted and on the bottom courtesy of a seven-game losing streak and horrific injury toll.

Now they are on a different sort of a streak, winning four of their past five matches. They are still two wins shy of the top eight and just another loss or two from further rumours of team disharmony and speculation over the coach. Such is life in the NRL. But the purple patch against the men in purple has raised hopes their season is not lost.

Melbourne's fabled spine was missing critical vertebrae. Gareth Widdop played his last game for the club last weekend. And an eye injury to Cameron Smith meant Robbie Farah didn't have to contend with Origin II's man of the match twice in four days. The remaining Melbourne-based Maroons didn't play behind as dominant a forward pack.

At Suncorp Stadium, the majority of Cooper Cronk's kicks were attacking ones. Not so on a wet and cold Saturday night.

Having played in an Origin, Aaron Woods set out to prove he is an Origin player. He could have done little more. He made 20 runs, 181 metres, 37 tackles and three offloads against the premiers. Under pressure to retain his NSW jersey, this was the response Laurie Daley was after.

Farah was another backing up. He topped the tackle count with 52, kicked astutely and controlled the tempo from dummy half. Against all odds, in front of 5288 fans who braved atrocious conditions at Leichhardt Oval, he skippered his team to victory. If Paul Gallen doesn't make a miracle recovery, it's likely he will be asked to do the same for his state in the Origin decider.

Another senior player, Benji Marshall, scored on the buzzer to seal a 13th win from 16 appearances at the ground.

The opening tries came completely against the run of play. For more than a quarter of the game, the Storm didn't enter the Tigers' red zone. The moment they did, they scored, the defence prised open by a brilliant Brett Finch cut-out pass. It was the only time their line was breached.

In ugly conditions like this, the forwards normally shine. So it was some surprise that the Tigers wingers were the best on ground.

Having defused countless bombs, David Nofoaluma ended the contest with the crucial try. It wasn't as memorable as the one set up by his other flanker, but just as valuable.

Benji Marshall called it season-defining and Robbie Farah rated it Wests Tigers' most complete NRL performance in recent times after they upset defending premiers Melbourne 22-4 at a rain-sodden Leichhardt Oval.

Young wingers Tim Simona and David Nofoaluma were outstanding in the treacherous conditions on Saturday night and were instrumental in three of the Tigers' four tries, with the former producing two game-changing long-distance runs.

They were also galvanised by the efforts of NSW Origin forwards Farah and Aaron Woods.